What is a calavera a representation of in Day of the Dead tradition?

In Day of the Dead tradition, a calavera represents a human skull.

The skull is one of the holiday’s most recognizable symbols. It appears in sugar or chocolate candies, clay figures, masks, illustrations, and altar decorations. These images acknowledge death while presenting it in a colorful, personal, and often playful form rather than treating it only as something frightening.

Calaveras are connected with ofrendas, or home altars, where families remember deceased relatives with photographs, food, drinks, flowers, candles, and other meaningful objects. Sugar skulls may be placed on altars or exchanged as gifts, and their decorations often express the personality or vitality of the person being remembered.

The related word calaca generally means a skeleton and is sometimes used alongside calavera. Another famous artistic version is La Calavera Catrina, a skeleton figure developed from José Guadalupe Posada’s imagery and later popularized by muralist Diego Rivera.